Implantable layer comprising boundary indicators

Abstract

An implantable adjunct for use with a surgical stapling instrument is provided. The implantable adjunct comprises means for allowing a clinician to determine the degree of skew, if any, that the adjunct may experience when implanted into a subject with a surgical stapling instrument. The implantable adjunct comprises one or more reference systems configured to be compared to the staples, the edges of the adjunct, and/or any other adjunct elements by a clinician once the adjunct has been implanted into the subject. The one or more reference systems comprise references that define one or more zones of the adjunct. A clinician can visually determine what zone, or zones, of the adjunct the staples have satisfactorily, and/or unsatisfactorily, purchased the adjunct.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A staple cartridge assembly, comprising:
 a cartridge body, comprising:
 a deck; 
 a plurality of longitudinal rows of staples cavities defined in the deck; and 
 a longitudinal slot positioned to receive a firing driver during a staple firing stroke; 
 
 a plurality of staples removably stored within the staple cavities; and 
 an implantable layer, comprising:
 a deck-facing surface; and 
 an anvil-facing surface comprising a plurality of indicators, wherein each indicator denotes a boundary between a tissue-compression zone and a non-compressive zone, and wherein tissue is compressible by the deck in the tissue-compression zone during the staple firing stroke. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal rows of staple cavities comprises an inner longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in a first side of the cartridge body and an outer longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in the first side of the cartridge body, and wherein the plurality of indicators comprises an inner line positioned laterally between the longitudinal slot and the inner longitudinal row of staple cavities. 
     
     
       3. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of indicators further comprises an outer line positioned laterally between an outer edge of the cartridge body and the outer longitudinal row of staple cavities. 
     
     
       4. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of indicators is sewn into a material of the implantable layer. 
     
     
       5. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge body comprises a first side and a second side defined by the longitudinal slot, wherein the first side comprises a first lateral width, wherein the plurality of indicators comprises;
 a first inner longitudinally-extending line adjacent the longitudinal slot aligned on the first side of the cartridge body; 
 a second inner longitudinally-extending line adjacent the longitudinal slot aligned on the second side of the cartridge body; and 
 an outer longitudinally-extending line adjacent an outer edge of the cartridge body, 
 wherein a second lateral width is defined between the first inner longitudinally-extending line and the outer longitudinally-extending line, a third lateral width is defined between the first inner longitudinally-extending line and the second inner longitudinally-extending line, the longitudinal slot comprises a fourth lateral width, wherein the first lateral width is greater than the second lateral width, and wherein the third lateral width is greater than the fourth lateral width. 
 
     
     
       6. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the tissue is only compressible by the deck in the tissue compression zone. 
     
     
       7. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the implantable layer comprises a plurality of tissue compression zones comprising the tissue compression zone, wherein the tissue is only compressible by the deck in the plurality of tissue compression zones. 
     
     
       8. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the implantable layer is compressible between the tissue compression zone of the deck and the tissue. 
     
     
       9. A staple cartridge assembly, comprising:
 a cartridge body, comprising:
 a deck comprising a tissue-compression zone; 
 a plurality of longitudinal rows of staples cavities defined in the deck; and 
 a longitudinal slot positioned to receive at least a portion of a firing driver during a staple firing stroke; 
 
 a plurality of staples removably stored within the staple cavities; and 
 an implantable layer, comprising:
 a cartridge-facing surface; and 
 a tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of reference indicators, wherein each reference indicator denotes a boundary between a non-compressive zone and the tissue-compression zone, and wherein tissue is compressible by the tissue compression zone of the deck during the staple firing stroke by a corresponding tissue-compression surface of an anvil jaw. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal rows of staple cavities comprises an inner longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in a first side of the cartridge body and an outer longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in the first side of the cartridge body, and wherein the plurality of reference indicators comprises an inner longitudinally-extending line positioned laterally between the longitudinal slot and the inner longitudinal row of staple cavities. 
     
     
       11. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of reference indicators further comprises an outer longitudinally-extending line positioned laterally between an outer longitudinally-extending edge of the cartridge body and the outer longitudinal row of staple cavities. 
     
     
       12. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of reference indicators is sewn into a material of the implantable layer. 
     
     
       13. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the cartridge body comprises a first side and a second side defined by the longitudinal slot, wherein the first side comprises a first lateral width, wherein the plurality of reference indicators comprises;
 a first inner longitudinally-extending line adjacent the longitudinal slot aligned on the first side of the cartridge body; 
 a second inner longitudinally-extending line adjacent the longitudinal slot aligned on the second side of the cartridge body; and 
 an outer longitudinally-extending line adjacent an outer edge of the cartridge body, 
 wherein a second lateral width is defined between the first inner longitudinally-extending line and the outer longitudinally-extending line, a third lateral width is defined between the first inner longitudinally-extending line and the second inner longitudinally-extending line, the longitudinal slot comprises a fourth lateral width, wherein the first lateral width is greater than the second lateral width, and wherein the third lateral width is greater than the fourth lateral width. 
 
     
     
       14. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 9 , wherein tissue is not compressible by the deck in the non-compressive zone. 
     
     
       15. A staple cartridge assembly, comprising:
 a cartridge body, comprising:
 a deck; 
 a plurality of longitudinal rows of staples cavities defined in the deck; and 
 a longitudinal slot positioned to receive a firing driver during a staple firing stroke and defining a longitudinal slot axis, wherein the longitudinal slot defines a first side of the cartridge body and a second side of the cartridge body, and wherein the first side defines a first lateral width between an outer longitudinally-extending edge of the deck and an inner longitudinally-extending edge of the longitudinal slot; 
 
 a plurality of staples removably stored within the staple cavities; and 
 an implantable layer, comprising:
 a tissue-compression zone comprising a second lateral width; 
 a deck-facing surface; and 
 an anvil-facing surface comprising a plurality of visual indicia, wherein each visual indicia denotes a boundary between the tissue-compression zone and a non-compressive zone, wherein tissue is compressible by the deck in the tissue-compression zone during the firing stroke, and wherein the second lateral width is less than the first lateral width. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of visual indicia comprises a first longitudinally-extending line and a second longitudinally-extending line. 
     
     
       17. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal rows of staple cavities comprises an inner longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in the first side of the cartridge body and an outer longitudinal row of staple cavities defined in the first side of the cartridge body, wherein the first longitudinally-extending line is positioned laterally between the inner longitudinal row of staple cavities and the inner longitudinally-extending edge of the longitudinal slot. 
     
     
       18. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the second longitudinally-extending line is positioned laterally between the outer longitudinal row of staple cavities and the outer longitudinally-extending edge of the deck. 
     
     
       19. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the plurality of visual indicia is sewn into a material of the implantable layer. 
     
     
       20. The staple cartridge assembly of  claim 15 , wherein tissue is not compressible by the deck in the non-compressive zone.